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A United Kingdom - Featurettes


'A United Kingdom' is the story of Sir Seretse Khama who, in 1948, caused a stir within both the UK and South African governments when he - as the Prince of Bechuanaland (now Botswana) - fell in love and decided to marry a white woman named Ruth Williams from London.

Continue: A United Kingdom - Featurettes

A United Kingdom Review

Good

Based on a powerful true story from the late 1940s, this drama is packed with present-day resonance as it explores a relationship that sparks intense social and political fallout. And it's made properly engaging with central roles beautifully played by David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike. So it's a shame that the screenplay is so simplistic, failing to generate any momentum in the story with its awkward structure and paper-thin side characters.

It opens in 1947, as Seretse Khama (Oyelowo) has spent 20 years of his life studying in London and is ready to return to Bechuanaland (now Botswana) to take his rightful place as king. But he has fallen in love with white, working-class Englishwoman Ruth (Pike), and they decide to return to Africa together. This causes a crisis for Seretse's uncle Tshkedi (Vusi Kunene), who has been ruling the country while Seretse was away. And there's even more fierce resistance from the British colonial officials (including Jack Davenport and Tom Felton), who refuse to allow the couple to live together in Bechuanaland because a mixed-race marriage undermines the UK's acceptance of South Africa's policy of Apartheid. So they exile Seretse from the country and manipulate the situation to Britain's political benefit. But Ruth stays and fights on.

The film chronicles this astonishing battle with a fascinating attention to detail, although screenwriter Guy Hibbert struggles to avoid repetition as the events shift between Africa and London, leaving main characters off the screen for what turns out to be years at a time. Meanwhile, the British are portrayed as moustache-twirling villains who lie and conspire to undermine the government of Bechuanaland. A bit more complexity might have made the situation compelling on-screen.

Continue reading: A United Kingdom Review

David Oyelowo Urges Greater Diversity In The British Film Industry


David Oyelowo

British actor David Oyelowo, star of prestigious movies like Selma and the newly-released A United Kingdom, has called on the British film industry to expand its efforts for increased diversity, claiming that he moved to the United States because a lack of opportunity for black actors in the UK.

The 40 year old actor was delivering the keynote address at a symposium organised by the BFI Southbank on Thursday (October 6th), in order to mark the start of the Black Star season celebrating the contributions of black actors to the British film industry.

However, Oyelowo argued that the sense of progress the industry had made needed to be accelerated, particularly pushing for more historical and period pieces that show Britain “how it became what it is.”

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A United Kingdom Trailer


Once upon a time, a handsome, intelligent man fell in love with an equally clever and intelligent woman, the couple married and lived happily ever after. Ruth Williams and Seretse Khama met in Britain in 1947, he was a young man training to be a barrister and she was a clerk working for Lloyds of London.

The pair immediately felt an affinity for one another and courted for a year before Seretse and Ruth married. As well as being an interracial couple, Seretse has a lot more to his past than Ruth ever knew. Seretse is a prince of Bechuanaland and lives a hugely important life in a county that feels a whole world away from the comparatively cosmopolitan London.

 Though Ruth and Seretse married - much against the advice of all their peers - apartheid in South Africa, the people of Bechuanaland and the British government all played a part in keeping Sertse from his birth right and went to extreme lengths to have the couple extradited from the country.

Continue: A United Kingdom Trailer

Queen Of Katwe - Trailer & Alicia Keys Featurette


Disney's Queen of Katwe is set in the slum of Katwe in Kampala, Uganda where we follow Phiona Mutesi on her journey to dream big and create a better life for her and her family. Her mother Harriet works on the market selling vegetables in order to just provide enough money to keep a roof over the family's head and says to Phiona that she will be disappointed if she 'dares to dream'. 

Continue: Queen Of Katwe - Trailer & Alicia Keys Featurette

After Oscars Snub, Ava DuVernay And David Oyelowo Announce 'Katrina'


David Oyelowo Ava DuVernay

Despite being snubbed in the Oscar categories for Best Actor and Best Director, Selma's David Oyelowo and Ava DuVernay are re-teaming to develop a feature set during Hurricane Katrina.

David OyelowoDavid Oyelowo is close to signing on for Ava DuVernay's new project - set during Hurricane Katrina

DuVernay will write, produce and direct the movie, being touted as both a love story and murder mystery. Oyelowo is in negotiations to produce and star, though a start date has not been set, reports Variety.

Continue reading: After Oscars Snub, Ava DuVernay And David Oyelowo Announce 'Katrina'

Critic's Choice Awards Honour Oscar-Snubbed Movies [Photos]


Michael Keaton Julianne Moore Jennifer Aniston David Oyelowo Oprah Winfrey Ethan Hawke Angelina Jolie

While the Academy Award nominations may have angered quite a few people, the Critic's Choice Awards took place on the same day (15th January 2015) at the Hollywood Palladium. Hosted by Michael Strahan, this year's Critic's Choice Awards was the twentieth anniversary of the ceremony, and continued the tradition of honouring some of the very best that the year's cinema had to offer. 

Michael Keaton won both 'Best Actor' and 'Best Actor in a Comedy Movie' (Credit Christopher Polk - Getty Images)
Michael Keaton won both 'Best Actor' and 'Best Actor in a Comedy Movie' (Credit Christopher Polk - Getty Images)

The ceremony differed from the upcoming Academy Awards in several ways. One of these was how it took the stance of being one of the few prestigious award ceremonies to honour 'Guardians of the Galaxy' (awarding it 'Best Action Movie' and 'Best Hair and Makeup'), and furthermore awarding the title of 'Best Animated Feature' to 'The Lego Movie' (which was shockingly snubbed by the Academy Award nominations).  Perhaps Chris Pratt is just a magnet for these things.

Continue reading: Critic's Choice Awards Honour Oscar-Snubbed Movies [Photos]

Oscars 2015 Line-Up: Notice Anything Missing?


David Oyelowo Ava DuVernay Bradley Cooper Steve Carell Clint Eastwood

The Oscars and white nominees go together like cheese and white bread – but in both cases, that doesn’t mean they’re good for you. With the kickoff of awards season 2015 came the inevitable backlash for the lack of diversity on the nominees list, but what are the bloggers saying this time around?

Oprah Winfrey, Selma
No Selma at this year's Oscars.

This year, it looks like the academy jury didn’t even try to seem unbiased – despite films like Selma and Gone Girl becoming massive critical and commercial successes in 2014, both Gillian Flynn and Ana Duvernay got left out of the race for Best Screenplay and Best Director, respectively. David Oyelowo also got snubbed, leaving us with a total of 0 people of colour in the acting categories. Now, it’s not that Bradley Cooper didn’t deserve his third nomination in three years (Best Actor, American Sniper) or that Steve Carrell’s transition into drama wasn’t nod-worthy (Best Actor, Foxcatcher) or that Richard Linklater didn’t create a masterpiece with Boyhood (Best Director).

Continue reading: Oscars 2015 Line-Up: Notice Anything Missing?

Oscar Nominations Court Controversy


Academy Of Motion Pictures And Sciences Michael Keaton Common John Legend David Oyelowo Ava DuVernay Jake Gyllenhaal Jessica Chastain Amy Adams Jennifer Aniston Roger Ebert

The reaction to this week's Oscar nominations was a loud one, because Academy voters played it so safe in a year when films expanded to explore a diverse array of themes. Throughout 2014, actors and filmmakers bravely took on big challenges, and many were recognised with nominations. But critics have been quick to point out that all of the acting and directing nominees are white, and #OscarsSoWhite was the trending hashtag on Twitter.

Neil Patrick Harris is hosting this year's Academy Awards
Neil Patrick Harris is hosting this year's Academy Awards

The most obvious snub was for Selma, which only received nods for Best Picture and Best Song (for Common and John Legend's 'Glory'), leaving out the acclaimed actor David Oyelowo and director Ava DuVernay, who would have been the first African-American woman ever nominated for Best Director.

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Bafta 2015 Nominations Reveal Secrets Of Awards Season


Timothy Spall BAFTA David Oyelowo Tom Wilkinson Carmen Ejogo Tim Roth Jack O'Connell Emily Blunt James Corden Daniel Huttlestone Tracey Ullman

Friday morning's British Academy Film Awards nominations show the predicted BAFTA love for home-grown movies like 'The Imitation Game' and 'The Theory of Everything', but were even more notable for who was missing from the shortlists.

Timothy Spall in Mr Turner
Timothy Spall - snubbed by the academy?

The most obvious snub was for Mike Leigh's acclaimed biographical drama 'Mr Turner', for which Timothy Spall won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival. But the film only has a handful of technical nods (for cinematography, production design, costumes and make-up/hair), with nothing for Spall or Leigh, and most surprisingly no British Film nomination.

Continue reading: Bafta 2015 Nominations Reveal Secrets Of Awards Season

'Star Wars Episode VII' Rumours - Will "Jedi-Hunters" Be The Villains?


Star Wars Lupita Nyong'o Adam Driver David Oyelowo

The plot of Star Wars is already being widely discussed despite the producers' attempts to keep the story line under wraps. Rumours are flying amuck about the possible plot and some of them are originating from inside the Pinewood Studio.

Star Wars
The Star Wars Episode VII script is top secret.

The website, makingstarwars.net, has allegedly spoken to people working within the studio and with close proximity to the cast and crew. Although the website emphasises these rumours are merely speculative and that none of the sources have read the script, there appears to be some information creeping through.

Continue reading: 'Star Wars Episode VII' Rumours - Will "Jedi-Hunters" Be The Villains?

And The First Actor Cast In Star Wars Episode VII Is...The Guy From Spooks?


David Oyelowo Jj Abrams Harrison Ford Mark Hamill Carrie Fisher

David Oyelowo, the British actor best known for the BBC series Spooks, is reportedly the first actor to be signed up for Star Wars Episode VII.

The actor has been rumored heavily as of late, though the reliable fan site Jedi News say Oyelowo has not signed on the dotted line for the Jj Abrams movie.

A shadowy source known only as Jedi Master SQL told the site: "Just confirmed the first signed and sealed casting. He's British, and Jedi News have already reported it twice! And no, it's not Sherlock [Benedict Cumberbatch]."

Continue reading: And The First Actor Cast In Star Wars Episode VII Is...The Guy From Spooks?

Nicole Kidman Refuses To Utter 'N-Word' On Paperboy Set


Nicole Kidman David Oyelowo

Nicole Kidman refused to utter the 'N- word' when shooting new film The Paperboy, according to her co-star David Oyelowo.

Following the recent release of Quentin Tarantino film Django Unchained, the use of the 'N-word' has been a hot topic among film circles, with Tarantino once again extremely open in his inclusion of it in his script. However when it came to the Australian actress, it was a barrier she didn't want to pass, according to her Nigerian-born co-star. "She flatly refused," said Oyelowo. "She felt that was a bridge too far for her and I really respect her for doing that," the former Spooks star added. 

It was a move based on morals, and something that clearly meant a lot to Oyelowo, who continued "Anyone who sees that movie will see Nicole Kidman did virtually everything else that Lee Daniels asked her to do. But she would not do that [say the n-word]." However, speaking to Radio 4's Front Row, Oyelowo revealed that he felt the use of such a word did have a place in film scripts, so long as it was used for the right sort of impact such as in Complicit, his new due to be shown on Channel 4, and not, perhaps, in the scattershot style that Tarantino used it in his western Django Unchained. "By the time that word comes [in Complicit], you feel that a pressure valve has been broken," the actor explained. "I think that is a good use of that word because of the emotion it elicits." 

Continue reading: Nicole Kidman Refuses To Utter 'N-Word' On Paperboy Set

Jack Reacher Trailer


Jack Reacher is a former military police officer who with the ability to make himself untraceable; i.e. it's only possible to find him when he chooses to be found. However, he shows himself readily when he is recruited to investigate a quadruple murder when the suspect they rope in specifically requests him to be involved. The suspect is James Barr, a former sniper who once got away with shooting four people in a similar crime; a man who Reacher insisted he would kill should an incident like this ever occur again. Initially, he is determined to prove this guy's guilt, however as he delves deeper into the investigation he starts to believe the evidence shown to him by defense lawyer Helen Rodin points to his innocence and finally starts to see that there is a different perpetrator who deliberately set Barr up. Reacher is determined to find out the truth no matter how many laws he breaks on the way; though when Rodin is kidnapped by a cohort of the real killer after they get too close to the truth, the stakes are increased no matter how much Reacher tries to insist he has nothing to lose.

This gritty crime thriller is based on the 2005 novel 'One Shot' by Lee Child and has been entirely filmed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With a first class director and writer, Christopher McQuarrie ('The Usual Suspects', 'Valkyrie', 'The Tourist'), Jack Reacher looks definitely set to become a huge hit when it hits movie theaters on December 26th 2012.

Starring: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Robert Duvall, James Martin Kelly, Richard Jenkins, Werner Herzog, David Oyelowo, Michael Raymond-James, Kristen Dalton, Nicole Forester & Josh Helman.

Continue: Jack Reacher Trailer

Video - Nicole Kidman And The Cast Of 'The Paperboy' On The Red Carpet At NY Film Festival


The cast of upcoming movie 'The Paperboy' arrive at the 50th annual New York Film Festival for the Gala Tribute to Nicole Kidman; an honouree at the event which was held at the Lincoln Center.

Continue: Video - Nicole Kidman And The Cast Of 'The Paperboy' On The Red Carpet At NY Film Festival

Red Tails Review


Good
An inspiring true story from American military history provides plenty of drama and adventure, even if the over-earnest approach makes it seem rather silly at times. If it weren't for the engaging cast and thrilling aerial combat sequences, the film would be hard to get through.

During WWII, black pilots trained in Tuskegee, Alabama, were sidelined in the segregated US forces. But Colonel Ballard (Howard) gets them an assignment accompanying bombers on raids in Italy. Led by Major Stance (Gooding), the team includes hot-shot Lightning (Oyelowo), self-doubting Easy (Parker), eager Junior (Wilds) and the even less-defined Smoky (Ne-Yo) and Joker (Kelley). As they square off against their Luftwaffe nemesis (van Riesen), the Tuskegee airmen's distinctive red-tailed planes develop a first-rate reputation that begins to break down racial barriers.

Continue reading: Red Tails Review

Video - Terrence Howard: 'David Oyelowo Is Really From Alabama'


Actor Terrence Howard (Iron Man; Crash; The Brave One) and David Oyelowo (The Last King Of Scotland; The Help; Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes) attend a press junket for their new movie "Red Tails" at the London Hotel in New York. The interviewer expressed surprise at David's accent, saying she didn't know he was English, to which Terrence quips that he's really from Alabama.

David explains how he liked researching the Tuskegee Airmen but was shocked at how many Americans didn't know the story of the airmen, who became the first African American US military pilots

Red Tails Trailer


In the height of World War II, the American Army have devised an experimental training programme, known as the Tuskegee Training Programme, that consists of African American soldiers. Despite their hard work training, they are beginning to lose hope that they will ever fight in the war. Discrimination in the army was so rife, the men were often seen as unable to fight for their country.

Continue: Red Tails Trailer

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes Review


Excellent
Rebooting this franchise seemed somewhat iffy until we heard it would involve Weta performance-capture technology (complete with Serkis). And indeed, it's an eye-popping, involving summer movie that manages to layer thoughtful substance with the lively action.

Will (Franco) is a San Francisco scientist experimenting with a new Alzheimer's medication he hopes will cure his father (Lithgow). But things take an unexpected turn when his greedy boss (Oyelowo) gets rid of his lab-test chimps, leaving Will to raise infant ape Caesar (Serkis) in secret. But Caesar's super-human intelligence can't keep him out of the clutches of the nasty father-son animal controllers (Cox and Felton), who badly underestimate him.

Can Will and his chimp-expert girlfriend (Pinto) sort out the mess before a furious Caesar takes matters into his own capable hands?

Continue reading: Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes Review

The Help Trailer


Skeeter has always dreamt of becoming a writer; fresh out of college she attempts to get a job at one of New York's best publishing houses but unfortunately isn't successful at landing the job. Returning home she starts to write a column for the local news paper but is distracted by personal matters when she learns that the family maid, who raised Skeeter, has gone missing.

Continue: The Help Trailer

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes Trailer


Will Rodman, is a scientist who's hugely dedicated to his job in the hope that he'll find a cure for the degenerative illness Alzheimer's. Having developed a formula that looks to reverse some of the damage done to the brain, his lab begins to test the medication on apes.

Continue: Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes Trailer

Rage Trailer


Watch the trailer for Rage

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A Sound Of Thunder Review


Bad
The best thing that can be said for the embarrassing A Sound of Thunder is that at least it presupposes an audience whose belief in evolution is ironclad, sadly a minor triumph in these increasingly Scopes monkey trial-like times.

Adapted with sub-simian grace from the iconic Ray Bradbury story, the film puts us in the year 2055, where a Chicago firm called Time Safari takes wealthy, bored men back in time and hunt dinosaurs. The trick here is that Bradbury - prefiguring all the great time travel paradox stories and films to follow - realized one couldn't just do this without creating massive complications further down the time pipeline. So Time Safari has its hunters walk through the 65-million-year-old jungle on a pathway suspended above the ground, with the strict dictum not to touch anything, never step off the path and not to bring even the most microscopic thing back with them. And the dinosaur that they "hunt" (over and over again) has been selected for the fact that it's going to die anyway, bare seconds after the safari team shoots it. Thusly the time continuum remains unchanged and everybody's happy.

Continue reading: A Sound Of Thunder Review

David Oyelowo

David Oyelowo Quick Links

News Pictures Video Film Footage Quotes RSS

David Oyelowo

Date of birth

1st April, 1976

Occupation

Actor

Sex

Male

Height

1.78


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David Oyelowo Movies

A United Kingdom Featurettes Trailer

A United Kingdom Featurettes Trailer

'A United Kingdom' is the story of Sir Seretse Khama who, in 1948, caused a...

A United Kingdom Movie Review

A United Kingdom Movie Review

Based on a powerful true story from the late 1940s, this drama is packed with...

A United Kingdom Trailer

A United Kingdom Trailer

Once upon a time, a handsome, intelligent man fell in love with an equally clever...

Queen Of Katwe - Teaser Trailer

Queen Of Katwe - Teaser Trailer

Disney's Queen of Katwe is set in the slum of Katwe in Kampala, Uganda where...

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Captive Trailer

Captive Trailer

Ashley Smith is heavily addicted to drugs so much so that she has lost custody...

Selma Movie Review

Selma Movie Review

One of the finest biopics in recent memory, this drama manages to present someone as...

A Most Violent Year Movie Review

A Most Violent Year Movie Review

With this confident drama, J.C. Chandor (Margin Call, All Is Lost) continues to evolve as...

Selma Trailer

Selma Trailer

“What happens when a man stands up and says ‘enough is enough’?” So goes the...

A Most Violent Year Trailer

A Most Violent Year Trailer

In 1981, New York City saw its most violent year in the city's history. When...

Interstellar Trailer

Interstellar Trailer

Mankind is doomed. Following generations of neglect and a lack of care, the planet Earth...

Interstellar Trailer

Interstellar Trailer

Cooper is a pilot and engineer with a huge ambition to save the world. With...

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